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Access Bank Plc has commenced disbursement of loans to beneficiaries in the entertainment industry, under the Creative Industry Financing Initiative (CIFI) of the Central Bank of Nigeria.
The bank disclosed this during a forum with some stakeholders in the entertainment industry in Lagos on Tuesday July 2, 2019.
It said the first tranche of the CIFI loans worth N20bn, would be made easily accessible to the borrowers in the sector.
According to Bidemi Adeboye of Access Bank Plc., stakeholders in the creative industries such as fashion, Information Technology, movie production, movie distribution, music and software engineering student could access the loans.
“When all documentations were completed and the loans approved, the bank would ensure the beneficiaries got the funds within two weeks, he said.
Adeboye added, “The CBN wants to create jobs, develop local capacity, preserve foreign exchange and ensure empowerment in the entertainment industry.
“It is more interested in providing infrastructure funding such as film house, equipment, studio, auditorium, which will make it easier for the entertainers to operate at lower cost and be able to make profit.”
He stated further that the loan had maximum interest rate of nine per cent per annum and a repayment period of up to 10 years.
According to him, those who would access the loans should come up with business plan or statement; they must be registered and should be doing what had economic benefits.
Contributing, Chizoma Okoli of Access Bank Plc said that the CIFI loan was introduced by the CBN to support the creative sector.
Okoli said Access Bank decided to organise the forum with the stakeholders in the entertainment industry, to get more ideas from them on how best they could disburse the funds to them, and the documents they would need.
Responding on behalf of the artises, the Koko Master, Oladapo Oyebanjo, popular known as D’banj, urged the bank to make the loans easily accessible as promised.
D’banj said, “Most times when we apply for loans, it usually takes up to six months for us to get such. This will be a good development if we can access the loans within two weeks.”
